Oakland, CA – The Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation (CHSWC) recently announced Safe Jobs for Youth Month. Every May, statewide organizations and government agencies participate in and support a public awareness information campaign consisting of fun and engaging learning activities about safety for working teenagers. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, young workers (ages 16 to 19) in California experienced over 2,700 work related injuries in 2016.
Safe Jobs for Youth Month is supported by the California Partnership for Young Worker Health and Safety, sponsored by CHSWC, and coordinated by the University of California Berkeley Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP). The objective of the campaign is to educate youth and inform employers, parents and the community about workplace health and safety to help prevent teen workplace injuries. The campaign is scheduled to help better prepare youth as they seek or begin summer employment opportunities. Activities and resources include a poster contest, a social media photo contest, fact sheets, and trainings on safety topics, including sexual harassment on the job.
To raise awareness about teen worker safety in California, the California Partnership for Young Worker Health and Safety brings together key representatives from government agencies and statewide organizations involved with California youth employment and education issues or that can otherwise play a role in educating and protecting young workers.
CHSWC is charged with examining the health and safety and workers’ compensation systems in California and recommending administrative or legislative modifications to improve their operation. The Commission was established to conduct a continuing examination of the workers’ compensation system and of the state’s activities to prevent industrial injuries and occupational illnesses and to examine those programs in other states.
Information about the California Partnership for Young Worker Health and Safety, Safe Jobs for Youth Month, May 2018, is available by contacting CHSWC, or at http://youngworkers.org/safe-jobs-month/, or by calling Diane Bush at LOHP at (510) 643-2424 or Héctor W. Flores at the Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program (LOSH) at (310) 794-5992.
Source: CA CHSWC